Dragon Ball Creator’s New Anime Movie We Can’t Wait To See
Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of an even more legendary manga called Dragon Ball, has plenty of other adaptation-worthy IPs under his belt, and recently, one of those IPs gained plenty of attention in the West, as it’s being adapted into a video game. Of course, we’re referring to SAND LAND, a Japanese manga series that just recently received an animated movie adaptation.
The new anime movie SAND LAND — adapted from a manga from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama — is already on screens in Japan and will premiere in North America next year.
According to Anime News Network, TOHO—a Japanese company engaged in the production and distribution of films—began streaming the first 15 minutes of SAND LAND, based on Akira Toriyama’s manga, last Friday. The movie already opened in theaters in Japan on August 18, with IMAX, 4DX, and MX4D screenings having started on the same day as regular screenings. SAND LAND premiered at San Diego Comic-Con International on July 22, with the official North American release scheduled for 2024.
The 15-minute snippet from the SAND LAND animated movie also features a message by Toriyama alongside an illustration of Toriyama’s favorite character, Swimmer Papa, who narrates the creator’s message.
Toriyama expressed his gratitude to everyone who watched the adaptation, appreciating the positive reviews, especially about the mecha that appears in SAND LAND—whose fantastic appearance and animation Toriyama credited to the hard work of the animation staff working on SAND LAND.
The trio embarks on an adventure to free the water from the King’s reserves, but soon after their quest begins, their car breaks down, and they’re forced to steal a tank from the King’s army, thus incurring its wrath.
The SAND LAND narrative takes place in a world in which the main source of water has dried out, and the greedy King of the land is basically monopolizing the water supply and increasing the price of water, making this precious resource scarce for the citizens of Sand Land, prompting many to steal water and money from each other.
Tired of the King’s greed and the suffering of his fellow citizens, Sheriff Rao asks the King of demons (which are basically deities in Toriyama’s universe) for help, to which they respond by sending the demon king’s son, Beelzebub, and his assistant Thief.
The trio embarks on an adventure to free the water from the King’s reserves, but soon after their quest begins, their car breaks down, and they’re forced to steal a tank from the King’s army, thus incurring its wrath.
Together, the trio sets across the desert, facing dragons, bandits, and the King’s army itself, and the whole SAND LAND adventure has been described as a travel adventure and tank action—with Beelzebub and Thief fighting over who gets to drive the tank.
The SAND LAND Game
Besides the upcoming SAND LAND anime we can’t wait to set our eyes upon, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced its plans to publish the same-name video game adaptation, which is currently in development at ILCA.
The game will rely on Unreal Engine 5, which, paired with Toriyama’s unique and instantly recognizable style, should offer visually appealing graphics and in-game physics.
Unfortunately, the details surrounding the video game adaptation are scarce, and so far, we only know that it will take the form of an action role-playing game set to be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC. The SAND LAND animated movie is scheduled to release in North America in 2024.
